Folding bed



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. PENNEY.

FOLDING BED.

No. 397,308. Patented Feb. 5, 1889.

2-SheetsSheet 2. J. PENNEY.

FOLDING BED (No Model.)

Patented Feb. 5, 1889 G Mw O 0 m 0% q w w I H w I k I A a H v m a q A N.PETERS. P

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH PENNEY, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

FOLDING BED.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 397,308, dated February5, 1889.

Application filed November 5, 1887. Serial No. 254,417. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JosEPH PENNEY, of Grand Rapids, in the county ofKent and State of Michigan, have invented certain Improvements inFolding Beds, of which the fol: lowing is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of folding beds in which the rigidbed-bottom is hinged at one end to a base-frame to turn upward anddownward, and combined with counterbalancing springs or weights. It isintended more particularly as an improvement on the constructionrepresented in my application for Letters Patent 011 the 11th day ofJune, 1887, Serial No. 241,057, and has in view the application of avarying resistance as the bed-bottom is turned up and down, so that asubstantial equilibrium is maintained during the entire rising orfalling movement. of the bottom.

In the drawings Ihave represented my present improvement in connectionwith a bed in other respects identical with that set forth in my priorapplication, above referred to.

Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the bed; Fig. 2, an endelevation of the same,

ortions of the frame being shown in section.

A represents a rigid base-frame of any appropriate form, and B thebed-ln'ittom, having a rigid frame connected near one end to thebaseframe by horizontal journals a, so that it may be turned at will toa vertical or a horizontal position. The head-board or headframe C hasat its ends sleeves 1), which are mounted upon sleeves or tubes D, whichslide in turn upon vertical tubular posts E, erected rigidly on theouter corners of the base-frame. From the head-board pitmen F areextended to the end of the folding bottom, so that as the bottom isturned downward and upward the head-board will rise and fall. Pitmen Gare extended from the two ends of the headboard to the outer ends of thetwo levers II, which are pivoted near their inner ends to the base-frameand connected by links or otherwise to the lower end of a verticalrod, 1. This rod passes throi'lgh guides on the frame and through alifting-spring, J, and is provided with a collar or nut bearing on saidspring, as shown. 'lhroi'igh these intermediate connections the spring Jtends to depress the head-board, which in turn acts through the sleevesD is provided with a cap, K, attached to the upper end of a rod, L,extended downward within the post E and through a spiralcompression-spring, M. This spring bears at its lower end against a headon the rod and at its upper end against a fixed bar or guide, 0, withinthe post E, so that it tends through the rods and cap to move the sleevedownward upon the post. IVhen the bottom is in an upright orapproximately-upright position, the head-frame is lowered so that itssleeves b are below and out of contact with the cap K, so that thesprings M remain inactive. As the bottom swings downward, the head-boardrises until its sleeves I) encounter and lift the caps, thus bringinginto play the springs M, so that their resistance supplements orre-enforces that of the spring J .in easing the descent of thebed-bottom.

The essence of my invention resides in ar ranging the secondary orsupplemental counterbalancing devices to come into play as the changingposition of the bottom renders necessary, and .it is manifest that thedetails may be variously modified without changing essentially the modeof action.

In order to assist in sustaining the bedt'rame when extended, I proposeto mount on the sides of the base-frame two horizontallyslidiug legs orpanels, 0, which may be moved forward at will beneath the bed-frame.

I do not claim herein the combination of the tubular posts, the slidinghead connected hina tion with thehezul frame or board having frametherewith, substantially as shown and I0 tubes D D, whereby it isadapted 1.0 slide Verdescribed. tieally along the posts of thebase-frame, )it- In testimony whereof I hereunto set my men F,eonneeting the head-hoard with the hand, this 21st clay of June, 1887,in the pres 5 inner end of the bed-botto1n frmne, the spring once of twoattesting Witnesses.

.I, levers III, connected therewith, the pitlnen JOSEPH PENN'E'Y. G,connecting the lovers with the l1eznl-h0:n?d, Witnesses: 7 the momentum-o1')posing Springs M M, and l CHAS. l1. PIKE,

the rapped rods connecting the slidingheml- CHAS. L. GRINNELL.

